Contributing Institution:
Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives

Language of Material:
English

Physical Description:
44.0 Linear feet
(82 boxes, 4 flat boxes)

Date (inclusive): ca. 1961-2009

Abstract: Archival records documenting the history and origins of the collective, its various publishing activities, its programs, correspondence
with members, data such as sales figures, and other aspects of the organization, as well as the cultural context of the San
Francisco Bay Area film-making cultures.

Physical Location: Special Collections materials are stored offsite and must be paged 36 hours in advance. For more information on paging collections,
see the department's website: http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/spc.html.

Acquisition Information

Purchased, 2009. Accession 2009-138.

Publication Rights

All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the
Head of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California 94304-6064. Consent
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission
from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner, heir(s) or assigns. See: http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/pubserv/permissions.html.

Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.

Established in 1961 by filmmakers Bruce Baillie and Chick Strand in the community of Canyon CA, Canyon Cinema has consistent
force in the development of independent, avant-garde, personal and counter-cultural filmmaking at the local, national and
international levels. Originally a peripatetic film exhibition venue, Canyon Cinema published THE CANYON CINEMANEWS from 1962
through 1982 (and briefly in the mid-'90s). Since 1967 the primary activity of the collective has been the distribution of
works by filmmaker members, for rental and sale, primarily in the 16mm, VHS and DVD formats. Works distributed by Canyon remain
the property of the artists.

Scope and Contents note

The records of Canyon Cinema, dating from 1962 to 2009 are arranged in five series: Series 1. Publications, Series 2. Filmmakers,
Series 3. Administrative records, Series 4. Exhibition records, Series 5. Collected ephemera, and Series 6. Media. These records
document the business activities of Canyon Cinema in its capacities as a film distributor, as a film exhibitor and as a publisher
of the journal, THE CANYON CINEMANEWS. Files include the complete body of publications created by Canyon Cinema, including
THE CANYON CINEMANEWS and all distribution catalogs, well as filmmaker correspondence, business records and exhibition records.
Additionally, this collection contains material created outside the organization and collected by it during its years of operation,
including publications, exhibition records and artists' ephemera documenting the field of independent filmmaking and exhibition.